Couric releases Te’o voice messages

Posted by Mike Florio on January 24, 2013, 1:57 PM EST

Reuters

As we wait to watch the first on-camera TV interview (not to be confused with the first off-camera TV interview) of linebacker Manti Te’o, Katie Couric has released some of the voice messages that Te’o received from Lennay Kekua, who according to the lawyer for Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was actually Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

It definitely sounds like a woman — and if Te’o had no other suspicions about the situation he definitely wouldn’t have suspected that he was possibly talking to a man.

“I think he’s a very naive, very young 21-year old,” Couric told Dan Patrick earlier today. “The person behind this was extraordinarily manipulative and incredibly, really almost weirdly intelligent about the way this was conducted.”

The recordings DO sound like a woman. Impossible to know if they are fake or not though. Teo simply didn’t come clean early and everything he releases is untraceable. Everything lie he admits to had already been proven by his timeline.

I initially thought he just got suckered because I know that that does happen, but now he’s failing to suspend disbelief. The spreadsheet of phone calls is something anyone could fabricate.

The lawyer on the other end is being might forthcoming for an attorney whose client was running a fake profile after that became illegal in his home state. It has the feeling of damage control. I think there’s going to be a lot more here. I’m just not sure what it will be.

Seriously folks – are we really going to crucify Te’o because he took some time to figure out what the heck was going on once he discovered the hoax?

That seems to be the central issue at this point –

…that he had media interviews following his initial discovery, and rather than drop the bombshell of “Oh yeah, you know my dead girlfriend? She’s fake and I was duped” in those interviews he took the time to try to find out what was really going on.

Is he stupid and gullible? Sounds like it – but that describes a lot of 21 year olds – and a ton of football players.

This is lunacy….I need something more than these nothing new but it’s still really weird reports. This is no longer news until something that is actually news happens. Other wise all we keep talking about is a teenagers fake dead girlfriend. The teenager just happens to play for Notre Dame.

Honestly I was all in last week but now I’m just over this.

eyeh8goodell says:Jan 24, 2013 3:51 PM

At this point I think this all just piling on. As much of a joke I think this kid is, I think the media and the public have had their pound of flesh. I think we all get the gist of what happened, have gotten our laughs, and had our schadenfreude. Do we really need to go probing for every single detail? Is this really that important?

jaltreality says:Jan 24, 2013 4:01 PM

Man, this whole thing is just suspicious. Why oh why would this guy’s lawyer turn over all this info, voicemail etc., to the media if there was a possible case looming?

Possible explanation: Because the guy has been paid off and given a full-and-final release (plus a promise for indemnification) in exchange for taking the full responsibility and absolving Te’o.

blackandbluedivision says:Jan 24, 2013 4:03 PM

stevemo says:
Jan 24, 2013 2:01 PM
But Te’o did not immediately surrender these to the entitled public so they are probably fake.
__________________________________

This whole drama started a week ago. Before then he didn’t expect this whole thing to come to light. Much less have people not believe him. I don’t think he had these voicemails, pre-recorded and in his back pocket ready to go.

blackandbluedivision says:Jan 24, 2013 4:05 PM

In what sick and twisted world do we attack the victim of the hoax and mock him, while the admitted culprit is just sitting at home with his legs up.

At this point, this is no longer any of our business. This feels like his personal business now. Even if he didn’t come forward as soon as he could have, he’s probably learned his lesson because he will wear this particular scarlet letter for the rest of his life.

Im just glad the kid didn’t go and harm himself when he became the #1 news story. He’s managed to put Lance Armstrong on the back pages…are we not going on about this a bit MUCH?

Great article, MDS. One thing that’s puzzled me about this story is how quickly male commenters seemed to conclude the whole thing was engineered to cover up for Manti being gay–even though none of the details suggest that. Clearly a player’s sexuality is an issue with some people. But with the majority of soldiers supporting the repeal of “don’t ask/don’t tell” that doesn’t mean it would be as big an issue in the locker room as everyone supposes.

This is pretty sick, people. The arguments I read here that supposedly indicate that Te’O is this or that are simply people’s prejudices. We’ve already made up our minds about the facts and now are willing to convolute so own own theories stack up.

This is a bizarre story no doubt and this KID has certainly made missteps in handling it. On a personal level this has to be this kid’s most embarrassing and humiliating ordeals he’s been through so let’s all be sure to kick him in the teeth while he’s down and then point and laugh.

I agree wholeheartedly with other posters here that this story has gone way past amusing to becoming down right disgusting and degrading. When do we all realize that the media has gone way over the line? When this kid shoves a shotgun in his mouth and plasters his grey matter all over his bedroom wall?